Review: Blue Ember Grills

Blue Ember was purchased by Onward Manufacturing Company in 2010. Onward is a large manufacturer and distributer of barbecues and accessories. Founded in Canada in 1906 by T.A. Witzel, Onward is now owned and managed by his three grandsons. They also own the well regarded Broil King, Huntington, Broil-Mate, and Sterling Grill lines, as well as a line of accessories.

Blue Ember was leading the digital revolution for grills with their now discontinued iQue model. It had a digital meat probe and alarm that went off when the meat reached your set temperature. Blue Ember explains they dropped the iQue because the electronics were glitchy and prone to failure, but they intend to reintroduce this feature when technical problems are resolved. We are very interested in seeing this since we think digital control of gas grills is long overdue.

Electrical outlets are conveniently included on the back for lights, rotisserie motor, and other grilling accessories. All carts have two doors, four casters, and are fabricated from 430 stainless steel, powder coated steel and plastic. Each model comes with two side shelves that feature tool hooks and condiment bins. Grease control is facilitated by a slide out grease tray that funnels into a small removable grease pan; both accessed from the back. Design and construction are decent with a few caveats.

Bottom Line: These grills are attractive and offer some nice features for their $400 to $1,000 price points, however they are in limited distribution. The warranty is 10 years on cast aluminum components, 5 years on burners and 2 years on remaining parts is in line with many popular brands in this range.

BE65078-584 Five BurnerA unique feature for this large model is a removable divider that is cut out to fit the shape of the closed grill. It drops down between the burners and butts up against the curved hood to isolate two distinct cooking zones.

FG50069-584 Three Burner with SonarQue Fuel MonitorThe SonarQue Fuel Monitor puts a digital display of your fuel level right on the control panel. I also like the built-in ice bucket. Although it takes up some work space, it goes well with the bottle opener!